just sayin what i read
lol
Mid-Atlantic Bird Watching - Winter 2012-2013
lol Jen and Sally as far as we know birds don't cook! (Who really knows what goes on inside those nests and houses and tree cavities and hedgerows?!!
Salmonella in raw eggs can infect birds and other animals that eat them even if the contents have dried, but heat from boiling can sanitize them.
Some birds eat the shells after babies have hatched and others dispose of shells some distance from nest to disuade predators.
Well now---
All the egg shells I have collected are from eggs I have eaten---and i am still around....:o)
So--in that case--they would be safe to grind up and feed tot he birds--NO?
This would be true for most of us---I believe.
I have heard that any given bird or their nest is so full of harmful insects and bacteria
that you should never touch it....
OOps, sorry, wrong forum.
Yeah birds!
This message was edited Jan 12, 2013 12:10 AM
Wow- 'linthicum' has photographed #172 DIFFERENT species of birds, nearly all in MD, VA, or DE.
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/p.php?pid=9375705
So many birds out there.
Saw a little flicker??--wood pecker?? at my suet cake this AM. It was all black and white stripes on the wings
--no red cap or anything. Maybe 4"-5" long.
I have to dig out my NE region Bird ID book. The big one I have has EVERYTHING in it--
and that does not make it easy to find something to ID.
There is another pile of feathers near my Bird Bath--all over the place.
Would a Hawk stand there and eat it? I have seen them grab a bird and fly away.
Or could it be an animal? Just making an early breakfast. I bet you it was a Dove...
I need to spend the $10 and buy one of those tube feeders for finches.
Have you seen the newer version of the feeder ports? The little covers now rotate to either open or slit.
No screwing to remove and switch needed.
I put out a "sock" feeder of Nyger several months ago, and all of a sudden the finches have found it interesting. I was pretty sure the seed must have gone rancid, but apparently not. The next bag of Nyger I get, I'll store in the freezer....
I have to remember to put out the birdbath when (if?) it gets cold.
Gita , try Downy Woodpecker
yay Happy!
Well Sally, compared to Linthicum I'm quite a slacker! Maybe we should go over to Blackwater Wildlife Refuge and catch some glimpses of water birds. Oh yeah, we are in the Eastern flyway....
Did see my eagle circling overhead and calling so perhaps there is a nesting female afterall. Hope the rest of the winter is kind to them. Would be nice to see some fledglings again. I have fun looking at the Great BackYard Bird count sight and seeing what birds others near me are seeing.
This years Great Backyard Bird Count is Feb 15-18 .
http://www.birdsource.org/gbbc/whycount.html
We have a male Downy that visits us regularly... and the red spot on the back of his head is shaped like a heart!
I have been trying to catch him and get a picture of it.
This is Joey and Joey's heart!
The female Downy is at my suet now. She is all black and white with no red mark on her head. And she cheeps a lot (single notes, spaced out) when coming and going to the suet. I don't even have to get up, to look, to know she's there.
Our Pileateds are regular visitors now, I'll have to keep at least one suet feeder full. Ric
.
Gorgeous woodpecker. Picture taken of a bald eagle when I was driving through the USDA week ago when we had sun.....
Wow - that is gorgeous. What is the USDA?
Hmmm...
United States Department of Agriculture??????? Yes? No??? G.
That's what I thought, but orchidfancy said she was driving "through" it. Maybe she meant the Arboretum?
Maybe the research farm acreage Beltsville
USDA: Unites States Department of Agriculture located in Beltsville Maryland. It is not far from my house in College park. Powder Mill rd goes through the USDA from US# l all the way to 197 in Laurel. Usually I use Beaver dam rd instead to go to Bowie. Slow but relaxed ride. Here is another picture taken the same morning but earlier.
Sally was right, then! I first thought of of USDA HQ at 1400 Independence Ave., S.W., Washington, DC 20250, but figured you couldn't mean that!
Along Beaver dam rd there used to be blue bird boxes all along the fences , but they are all gone how sad.
I didn't know that -- that's interesting. Are there blue bird boxes anywhere in our area?
Got a better pic of the Pileated and a smaller friend.
cool Holly!
there are bluebird boxes in Kinder park in Severna park, happy, and bluebirds can be seen.
Volunteers often check the boxes as there is potential for other birds nesting in or raiding them. It may be that with no volunteers some bluebird boxes fell apart or were removed.
Something did some midatlantic bird EATING in my yard- big fluffs of feathers, dove I think.
We have a few of the neighborhood cats staking out the feeders on occasion not to mention the occasional Hawk.
very cool
Hi Rose, I LOVE that cat!!! Is he/she a Rog Doll?
We are fighting squirrels again at the bird feeder. Nothing seems to stop them from getting to the food. :-(
Holly/Ric: What is the shutter used for, the one in your last photo?
Happy I have a Clematis Virginiana growing on it. One I got from Critter at Aspenhills Swap. Think that was 2 years ago. I should have taken the shutter inside for the winter but didn't bother this year. There are 2 of those suet feeders on the pole and the shutter partially blocks the view of one of them. I am slowly working thru the new Photo program Ric gave me so when/if I find a pic of it in bloom I will post it for you. Lovely thing.
Here it is.
The Pileated Woodpecker is out there now and we have a good sized flock of Starlings hanging around. They just drop out of the sky practicality cover the yard and then they are gone in a flash. I know a lot of people don't like them and they can be a serious nuisance but they are so lively and quite a bit of fun to watch.
From way over in Michigan ....
Al
LOL, That is one way to get them in for a close up shot.
How much fun to hand feed them, how cold you must have been.
Lovely pics, tapla. How come birds in my backyard never get near me?! :-)
Beautiful Clematis, Holly. Everybody will want some cuttings coming spring :-). Today my hubby saw a pileated woodpecker for the first time and was extremely excited about it :-D. It sounds like the woodpecker is building a home in our tree now. Welcome to the neighborhood :-).
That must be fun tapla!
wow how great donner!
gosh, will I keep up with giving the birds fresh water this week? so cold out there,the bath was frozen.
Yeah it was 5° today with the wind chill, even if I put hot water in the bath it would have frozen again real fast
Wanted to get those heater elements for the bath but there is no outlet close enough
My kids are always trying to "lure" the chickadees to hand feed them, they give up too fast, LOL
Hey all--
Tapla has come over to the MAF to talk soils and mixes and whatever you need to know.
I think he may stay a while--how can he not? Or--we all may just kidnap him....
We all are SO wonderful here....;o)
Please visit the new Thread and ask away. Gita
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1295008/
Just saw a hawk sweep around the end of the Holly Hedge in fast pursuit of some small bird. Not a bird in sight right now they all sure did scatter only one small squirrel hunkered down on the sunflower feeder. My water features are all frozen right now. Even the one with the pond heater. This newer efficient pond heater doesn't really do the job when the temps get really low. Getting out the heated bird bath. I hadn't bothered because the birdbath/pond was not completely frozen but now I will need to get that set up.
It takes less than 5 minutes to get them to eat from my hand in the near vicinity of a bird feeder (take your feeder down when you're trying to tame the birds - or they'll just fly to the feeder), but I can do the same thing with some species of birds almost anywhere, as long as they are accustomed to returning to the same spot for a hand-out. Part of the key is learning how to adopt a non-threatening posture at first. Lean against a tree by the bird feeder so your body won't sway (the movement frightens them at first) & put the seeds on your hat. Don't look directly at the birds. Raise your shoulders a little & tuck your chin toward your chest/neck so you're looking toward the ground in front of you. Keep your hands in your pockets & your arms close to your body - look like a tree trunk - they're not THAT smart. ;-) Leaning your head against the tree encourages nuthatches (if you have them) to hop down the tree onto your hat. Unlike chickadees, nuthatches are very reluctant to land directly on you, but don't seem to mind hopping from the tree to your hat or hopping down an arm to your hand after they're used to you.
(In northern climes), you'll have much better success if you have access to a wooded spot where there are no nearby feeders. Go there and hang a suet block near a spot that will be comfortable for you to stand or sit, but don't hang it low enough that mammals can get at it; or drive a nail into a tree and hang a soup can full of sunflowers seeds on the nail. If you come back the next day & follow the procedure I outlined, you'll soon have birds eating from your hand. This only works well in the winter, when the only insects available are those wintering in their hidey holes.
For a really cool picture, in addition to all the birds on your hat/hands/shoulders, put a sunflower between your lips & put your hand against your chin to provide a perch for the chickadees/nuthatches. They'll hop on your hand & take the seed from your lips, giving you a 'kiss' in the process. You need a partner that has some familiarity with a camera to get the best shots. My problem is my partner won't venture out into the cold to take 'bird pictures'. ;o) The chickadees and nuthatches are easy, but if I'm willing to work at it, I can also get, tits, siskins, jays, and redpolls to eat from my hand. I even had an insect-eating brown creeper taking sunflower meats from my hand at my place up in the woods a few years back. I just find convincing the birds to trust you immensely rewarding.
Have fun.
Al
thanks for all the info!
WOW! Both Pileateds are out at the feeders today, trying to get a pic of both of them is like waiting for the planets to aline, not to mention chilly. Brrrrrrr Ric
Great Al!
Only chance I have with water is against a south wall with the sun out. I'm putting a window box saucer along the south side of the shed.. dishes against the house.